Saturday, May 29, 2010

Along the coast of Scotland, in Aberdeenshire, Donald Trump and his investors are building what they describe as “the greatest golf course in the world.” They are presently in the process of buying land necessary to build this golf course and its facilities. The location will include the usual facilities, clubhouses, etc. but will also have a 450 room hotel and 500 residential homes. The project is due for completion in 18 months and is expected to cost nearly 1 billion pounds.

He has decided to rename a strip of coastline that for 600 years has been known as Menie Dunes. The new name as given by Mr. Trump is “The Great Dunes of Scotland.” It goes without saying that some Scots oppose the renaming of their country by an outsider. They are hoping to obtain the signatures of thousands of people who oppose the construction. In fact, his opponents have organized under the name of “Tripping Up Trump.” This group has purchased some land in the middle of the project and ownership is split among 12 persons. They have even set up a web site called “The Bunker.” Some are saying he should built his course "over there".

Mr. Trump was dismissive of the protests and said “It’s a little late to trip me up.” He also described the fisherman’s house, at the heart of the controversy, as “a slum” and a “terrible-looking building.” The opposition refers to Donald Trump as a "New York Clown."

Visit Scotland supports the project of course, but I hope Mr. Trump understands the nature of Scots when their land is threatened. Sometimes money doesn't buy everything, but I presume the locals are destined to lose. I wonder if they have "imminent domain" in Scotland?

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

John Scott Neil died January 21, 1933, after being a resident of the Scottish Home for eighteen years. He was born in Glasgow in 1837 and had lived in the United States for over forty years. Funeral services were conducted by the Rev. Alfred F. Waldo of the Riverside Presbyterian church.

Rev. Waldo said the following during the service: “It is a far cry back to the Crimean War; the war of 1854-1856, between Russia on the one hand and Turkey with her allies, England, France and Sardinia on the other. Yet this man, John Scott Neil, whose obsequies we respectfully observe this morning, was in that war, a bugler boy with the 49th Highlanders which regiment he joined when a lad of about 16. Such service and such longevity combine to constitute a true distinction. So it is a distinguished man in the presence of whose mortal remains we this morning preform the last rites and perform them with respect, with reverence and with love.”

According to his own testimony, Neil fought at Sebastopol. He was wounded twice in the Crimean war and twice more in the Indian rebellion that followed. He told residents at the Home that he was nursed by Florence Nightingale in a field hospital near Sebastopol. He came to Chicago in 1893 and had been confined to bed for eight years after he suffered a broken hip. Interment was in the Saint Andrew’s grounds in Rosehill cemetery, and as a last tribute to the man whom he had long called “Grandad”, Hugh Jamieson in Highland dress, played most fittingly on the bag pipes the soldier’s farewell, “Flowers of the Forest.”

Mr. Neil is one of several veterans buried in the Society's plot, Rosehill Cemetery, Chicago, Illinois.

Monday, May 24, 2010

Ogden purchased 1,000 acres of swampy land at edge of Lake Forest. Land cost $10 million

The mansion had 20 rooms

Italian Renaissance style

Formal gardens, orchards and a deer park

A 10 acres pond stocked with fish

Red tiled brick roof

Constructed of concrete and brick with steel beams employed for long spans and steel trusses used to support the heavy roof. One of the early use of steel for such purposes.

Building supplies arrived by freight cars at a railroad siding built on the property.

20 marble fireplaces came from Europe as did much of the furniture.

Each bedroom suite in the H-shaped mansion contained a sitting room as well as a bedroom

The estate accommodated a staff of 125.

The property included stables, an exercise ring, and carriage house with clock tower.

The house was always filled with plants and flowers.

Mrs. Armour enjoyed entertaining, but Mr. Armour felt ill at ease with small talk. Like his father, he was all about business.

The Prince of Wales visited in 1924

House designed as a fairyland for the Armour’s daughter, Lolita, who was only 3 pounds at birth.

She suffered from a congenital hip, which was corrected by surgery

She learned to ride horses and live a normal life

During WWI, she was a Red Cross volunteer nurse with hopes of going to France.

The Armour's also had homes in Chicago, Michigan, California and an apartment in London.

Ogden Armour died in 1927 at the age of 64 in London

Claims against his estate were $18 million

Mrs. Armour offered the creditors a group of stock in a company that had developed a method of extracting more than the usual amount of gasoline from a gallon of oil. They felt it was worthless and let her keep the stock. It later became very valuable.

In 1928, a syndicate of businessmen, led by Samuel Insul, purchased the estate and planned to turn the property into a golf club for millionaires.

When the market crash came in 1929 that plan also crashed and so did Samuel Insul.

Frank J. Lewis, Chicago businessman and philanthropist, bought several hundred acres from the Continental Illinois Bank & Trust Co. for close to $400,000. He later sold the house and 200 acres to Lake Forest Academy in 1947.

Friday, May 21, 2010

Ogden Armour was the oldest child of P.D. Armour. On May 12, 1891, he married Lolita H. Sheldon of Sufrield, Conn., in the Murray Hill Hotel of New York City. Lolita was 18 years of age and is described as an extremely pretty brunette. She was educated at Miss Porter’s school in Farmington and on a trip to Chicago had met Mr. Armour in 1890. The engagement was announced after a three weeks’ acquaintance.

By September, the Armours’ were building their new home in Chicago at the north-west corner of Michigan Avenue and 37th street. The house was to be eighty-two feet deep and a frontage of sixty feet, two stories with an attic and high roof. The walls would be of Bedford stone and steel beams would be used to make the home absolutely fire-proof. A broad hall, 20X42, will lead to the rooms on the first floor, “with a massive stairway leading to the second floor." In 1893, the house was finished and a large reception was held at 5:30 o’clock. “The marble vestibule of the house opened into a large square hall finished in solid mahogany. A broad stairway, with square landings, led to the second floor. To the left of the hall was a reception-room, which was hung in pale green silk. The draperies and most of the furnishings were of pink silk and brocade.” The library was painted India red. On the opposite side was the music room with bright rose-colored satin. The Hungarian orchestra played behind the stairway. Mrs. Armour was assisted by Mrs. W. Vernon Booth and Mrs. P.D. Armour.

In 1896, Mrs. Armour gave birth to a daughter. The baby would be given the name of Lolita, the same as her mother. She was the first granddaughter of Phillip Armour along with two grandsons. For each of the two grandsons, Mr. Armour had set aside $500,000 “to their individual credit.” “…speculation is now rife whether he will set aside $1,000,000 for the "ittle girl in order that there may be no disparity in the financial standing of the new little woman."

The child was of delicate health, and was kept in an incubator. Lolita would later be married in the great mansion in Lake Forest. On our history tour, July 17, 2010, we will see the marvelous stairs she descended on the day of her wedding.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

The History Club of the Illinois Saint Andrew's Society will conduct its annual history tour on July 17, 2010. The charter bus will leave the Scottish Home in North Riverside, Illinois at 11 a.m. and travel to Lake Forest. Our first stop will be at the former Armour mansion, now the Lake Forest Academy. The cost is $21.00 and children are welcome. Call 630-629-4516 or email to wrethford@comcast.net for reservations or information.

The most pretentious home in Lake Forest, Illinois, was that of J. Ogden Armour. The Armour’s bought 1,000 acres which had once been the farm of Patrick Melody. Mr. Armour apparently bought the land when his wife was in Europe. Mrs. Armour named the property “Melody Farm.” The area was drained into two large lakes, stocked with bass and perch. The architect was Arthur Heun and Morton R. Mavor (a Scot) was the contractor. A relative of Mr. Mavor lives in LaGrange and has attended our History Club meeting.

Two feet of black dirt was brought in to cover 200 acres in the area surrounding the house and the stables. There was a gate on Waukegan Road and the two mile road to the mansion was lined with young elm trees. A steel bridge was built over the Milwaukee railroad. (The Armour’s had their own personal station.) Along the drive to the house, one could see deer and beautiful horses. The horses lived in a fire-proof stable with their names engraved above their stalls.

The main building measured 180 by 500 feet and had a bowling alley in the basement. The dining room was on the first floor and had marble walls. The main floor also contained a music room with a pipe organ concealed in the paneling. In London, Mrs. Armour had purchased a little green-paneled room. It was dismantled and shipped to the new mansion.

Three people lived in the house and their quarters were on the second floor. Mr. Armour had two offices, one above the other, connected by a secret staircase. Gold and silver were frequently used in door knobs and electrical fixtures. Much of the furniture was bought in Europe and so were the silk paneling that adorned the marble walls. Magnificent rugs covered the marble floors.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Maxwell Edgar was born in 1871 in Mount Florida, Glasgow, Scotland. Mount Florida is in the southeast corner of the city of Glasgow. (The origin of the name is unclear.) He was the son of John Edgar and Eliza (Curr) Edgar. Educated in Scotland and England, he came to America in 1893. In Chicago, he attended Chicago-Kent College of Law and was admitted to practice in 1900. That same year, he married Jeanne Weil.

He was employed by the Stuyvesant Fish company, the I.C.R.R., and then became special assistant Corporation Counsel, City of Chicago. He was in charge of taxation, 1905-1907. President of the Illinois Democratic League, 1909-10; and the Illinois Tax Reform Association, 1908-1910. His recreation was golf and he lived in the Mont Claire section of the Chicago.

Maxwell Edgar became the secretary of the Illinois Saint Andrew Society, but things did not go well. He came to believe that the funds were being wasted, especially with the Crearer Fund, which Mr. Edgar believed was a restricted fund. Land became available on Ogden Avenue, (8-10) and the president of the Society and others decided to purchase that land for the Scottish Old People’s Home. The cost was $8,000.00 but Mr. Edgar in his lawsuit said it was only worth $5,000. The purchase was being made through Jacob Magill, the brother-in-law of president Daniel Bogle. Named in the injunction were Daniel R. Cameron, John C. Harper, John F. Homes, Joseph Cormack and Daniel Bogle, president of the Society. The lawsuit was later dismissed.

By 1917, the mental and physical health of Maxwell Edgar had become quite severe. A letter from Thomas Innes, Chairman of the Board of Almoners, to James B. Forgan, is asking for help. Doctors had concluded that “considerable benefit might result to Mr. Edgar from a brief period of treatment in a private sanitarium.” A total of $200 was needed for the treatment and would be raised among the members of the Saint Andrew Society. The money was raised, despite the previous history, and Mr. Edgar was sent to the Wauwatosa Sanitarium near Milwaukee.

The treatment failed and by April 1917, Maxwell Edgar was committed to the “Elgin State Hospital for the Insane” in Elgin, Illinois. He died April 29 under unusual circumstances. A Senate committee later concluded that he had died of abuse and that an effort was made to hide his case. The two individuals listed as the perpetrators escaped prosecution by moving out of state.

The newspaper says he was survived by his wife, Mrs. Jeanne Edgar, 1160 Grace St., Chicago. Maxwell Edgar is buried in an unmarked grave in the Bluff City Cemetery, Elgin, Illinois. He is buried in a single grave owned by Maude Curr, who may have been a relative of his mother. His grave location is Section 15, #78 at the back of the cemetery. I have visited twice.

Contact with any family members, especially in Scotland, would be appreciated.

Friday, May 14, 2010

The Scottish American History Club meets in North Riverside, Illinois, on the first Saturday of each month, except July, August and December. We meet in Heritage Hall of the Scottish Home which also contains the Scottish American Museum. On site, we maintain a library and several years ago purchased "Scots in Michigan" by Alan T. Forrester. He writes about the traditions of naming and says the following:

The first son was named after the father’s father.
The second son was named after the mother’s father.
The third son was named after the father.
The fourth son was named after the father’s eldest brother.
The first daughter was named after the mother’s mother.
The second daughter was named after the father’s mother.
The third daughter was named after the mother.
The fourth daughter was named after the mother’s eldest sister.

“Official middle names were not always given, but when they were, they were typically the mother’s maiden name or another surname honoring grandparents, other relatives, or close friends.”

Thursday, May 13, 2010

August 3, 1923 - “Through the influence of Mr. Allen H. Stewart of 30 N. Michigan Ave., Mrs. T. C. Butz of Highland Park, has presented a fine thoroughbred English bull dog to the Scottish Home. The dog is from the Strathway Kennels owned by Mr. Stewart in Highland Park, Illinois.

November 17, 1923 - Mrs. Isabella Hope, a resident of the Scottish Old People’s Home for twenty years, celebrated her 84th birthday. Mrs. Hope was admitted to the Home on Bryant Ave. in July 1905, and came with 14 others to the new home in Riverside in November 1910. She is the only one of that number now living.

March 30, 1925 - A Zenith radio was given to the Home by Charles E. Bradley of the Asmus Bradley Company at 208 W. Monroe Street, Chicago, IL. Installation amounted to $60.00 and the radio is “fully equipped with a loud speaker and the old people spend many pleasant hours listening in.”

October 1979 - The Scottish Home owned a 1962 checker cab used to transport residents. It was replaced by a 12-passenger bus purchased from Ray Madden Ford in Downers Grove, Illinois. The cost was $9,000.00 and the money came from the Edmund McGibbon Recreational Fund. Mr. McGibbon was president of the Society in 1960.

November 20, 1984 - The new addition to the Scottish Home named “The Shetlands” was dedication at the Fall meeting of the Society. President R. Bruce Graham presided, Rev. Wayland McGlathery gave the invocation. Lois McCullagh, chairperson of the fund-raising committee, gave a short review of the new building. Peter Georgeson read the poem “The Shetlands” written by John Sinclair who was a relative of Mr. Georgeson’s grandfather. The poem was framed and now hangs in the Shetlands addition.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

We have known for quite some time that another Scottish Home existed somewhere in the United States. Now as a result of the scanning program and the Internet, we have some answers. A letter has been found from C. E. Duerr, secretary, of the St. Andrew’s Scottish Benevolent Society, in Cleveland, Ohio, asking questions about the operation about the Scottish Home in Riverside, Il. It seems that Mrs. Cummings, the Superintendent, knew a lady who wanted to apply as the matron of their home and thus a series of letters back and forth. We do not have all the letters but we can get some understanding of the other Scottish Home, both from the letters and now the Internet. It was called the Scottish Old Folks Home and was “designed to house older natives of Scotland and their families.” The capacity was around thirty, but as of April 5, 1930, they had only nine residents. When it was learned that the matron also did the cooking, Mrs. Cummings felt that her friend would not be interested in the job.

The Scottish Old Folks Home was located in Cleveland, Ohio, at 1835 North Park Boulevard in a Georgian house of 19 rooms. The house was originally built in 1903 as the home of Bishop John Patrick Farrelly of the Catholic Diocese. We do not know when the St. Andrew’s Scottish Benevolent Society of Cleveland purchased the home and it is unclear if the Society still exists. It appears that the Scottish Old Folks Home began operating in 1919 and continued into the 1940's. An article on the Internet states, “In the 1940's the house was operated as the Scottish Old Folks home under the direction Matron Harriet Hepburn.” After that it was owned by the Rose Institute, and then by various individual owners.” In 1998 the home was on the Heights Heritage Tour and contained “classic contemporary furnishings by Charles Rennie Mackintosh." “The house has been total remodeled and restored to its original conditions with many additions.” The present owner is not identified.

In 1930, the president of the St. Andrew’s Scottish Benevolent Society was John J. MacEwen with William Peters and Ringland Andrews serving as vice presidents. Hector Fraser was the treasurer. Members of the Board of Trustees were: Frank Crockett, D. C. Noble, George Y. Farmer, William T. Angus, Alex Dunbar, B. C. Campbell, William Young and C. E. Duerr. The Society met the first Friday of each month at the Pythiuan Temple 919 Huron Road, Cleveland, Ohio. Additional information about the Benevolent Society, or the individuals mentioned would be greatly appreciated.

Monday, May 10, 2010

“The clans of Scotland will make merry today at Trout Park, near Elgin. Scotland’s day will be celebrated there by all the Scottish societies in the city, and part of the proceeds will be given to the Old People’s Home of the Illinois St. Andrew’s Society. The famous games of Scotland and America will be participated in by the best athletes. Famous champions will enter for the great tug-of-war, and bicycle races for men and women will take place on an excellent track. An excellent dancing pavilion has been provided and will be supplied with music by a band of fifteen pieces. A platform, 20X40 feet, especially built for this occasion on top of the highest peak, and viewed from a grand stand capable of holding thousands of people, will give everyone an exceptional opportunity of witnessing a fine exhibition of dancing, in which 500 Highland lassies in full Highland costume will take part. Four bands will supply music for the merrymakers, and twenty of the finest pipers in the land will enter the contest for bagpipe music. All the crack cadet companies of the city have already entered to contest for the $500 cup, offered by the societies. The Black Watch Forty-second Highlanders, in full Highland costume, will appear for the first time in public and act as guard of honor for the great occasion. Three hundred prominent Illinois Scottish-Americans will act as a Reception committee. The procession will start from the Lake-front for the Wells street depot at 8:30 A.M.” There follows a list of the twelve organizations in the procession, including “Women of Societies in Carriages.” The Chicago and Northwestern railroad ran special trains every half hour from the Wells and Kinzie street depot. William Gardner, president of the Illinois St. Andrew’s Society was also the president of the Central Council of Scottish Societies of Chicago that sponsored the event.

Friday, May 7, 2010

Ethel Forgan was the daughter of David and Agnes Forgan. Her father was born in St. Andrew’s Scotland, and was the president of the National City Bank of Chicago. Ethel Forgan and two other young ladies volunteered for duty in France during World War I to help the wounded. They would be supervised by Mrs. Benjamin Lathrop. All three were “excellent motorists.”

Ethel Forgan left for New York accompanied by her parents on February 3, 1918. The two Farwell sisters were accompanied to New York by their mother, Mrs. Grace Farwell. On February 22, 1918, the Chicago Daily Tribune reported that the “three had arrived in Paris and were engaged in work of the American Fund for the French wounded.”

Ethel Forgan and Vernon Booth were more than friends. Vernon was already in France and was a member of the Lafayette Flying Corps. He was a nephew of Mrs. P. A. Valentine and a cousin of P.D. Armour III, John Lester Armour and Patrick Valentine, Jr. Vernon Booth had enlisted in the French Aviation Corp in 1917, after being rejected by the American Air Force. (You have to wonder if he knew Kenneth McLeish and if she knew Priscilla Murdock.) He was a graduate of Harvard and in 1918 was about 24 years of age.

On April 27, 1918, Ethel Forgan and Vernon Booth were married in the Church re de Berri, in Paris. The took a 12 day honeymoon trip to Cannes. On their return Chauncey McCormick “entertained the couple in a wedding breakfast, at which were present Miss Mary Withers, Miss Sara Farwell, Miss Ruby McCormick and Richard Danielson.”

Lieutenant Booth was a war hero. He shot down three German aircraft and on June 25, 1918, while flying over enemy territory, was attacked by German war planes. His plane was set on fire but that fire was extinguished as his plane fell. A “poisoned bullet” shattered his leg, but he was able to land his plane in “no man’s land.” “He had the presence of mind, despite severe burns, to extinguish the fire and land between the lines forty yards from the enemy trenches. He set fire to his plane and regained the French lines through a heavy barrage of machine gun fire.”

Lt. Booth was taken to the Scotch Woman’s Hospital north-east of Paris where he remained until he died. At his side was his bride, Ethel Forgan Booth. A single cablegram brought the message to Mr. & Mrs. David Forgan, who lived at 1112 Greenwood Blvd., Evanston, Illinois. It simply said “Vernon died today.”

He was buried at Royaumont-Asnieres-sur-Oise, France. He was decorated with the Medaille Militaire and Croix de Guerre with Palm and the Legion d’Honneur. Like Priscilla Murdock, Ethel Forgan Booth did not marry again for ten years. On December 26, 1929, she married Philip Lyndon Dodge of New York City. After the wedding they lived at 111 East 88th Street.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Anna Mary Robertson was born September 7, 1860, in Greenwich, New York. Her paternal great-grandfather was Archibald Robertson, who was born in Scotland in 1748 and came to America in 1770. Her maternal great-grandfather, John Shonan, was also born in Scotland. Her father was a farmer and suppressed his artistic talent because of his all-consuming work on the farm.

Anna was one of 10 children and lived in a time when girls received little in the way of an education. She was hired as a domestic when she was 12 and married Thomas S. Moses when she was 17. They had 10 children, five of whom died at birth. “Busy farming and raising a family, Anna Mary had little time for painting until well past retirement age." Her husband died in 1927 and she continued running the farm.

Giving up a career in embroidery because of arthritis, she turned to painting. A collector saw one of her painting in a drug store window in 1938 and she became an immediate success. She exhibited her work throughout Europe and Japan. She was a prolific painter and demand for her work never abated during her lifetime. “Her art dramatized the simple rural life of America’s youth.” Over three decades, she painted some 3,600 canvasses.

She was honored by three American presidents. President Kennedy eulogized her as “a beloved figure in American life” when she was 101. A postage stamp was issued in her honor in 1969. “A British critic once said ‘She is clearly an artist with qualities identical with genius.’”

Grandma Moses died December 13, 1961. She is a member of the Scottish American Hall of Fame located in North Riverside, Illinois.

Monday, May 3, 2010

Around the turn of the 20th century, the leader of Scottish women in Chicago was Mrs. Robert Ballantine. In spite of her public role, we have little information about her life. Most of the time, she is referred to as Mrs. Robert Ballantine. A newspaper article published April 20, 1909, may give us a first name of Elizabeth.

The Women’s Auxiliary of the St. Andrew’s Society and the Illinois Daughters of Scotia were helping raise money for a new Scottish Home in Riverside, Illinois. They were sponsoring an event at Library Hall in Austin. (Austin is now part of the City of Chicago, but apparently was once its own town.) “The affair is under the direction Mrs. Elizabeth Ballantine, president of the auxiliary.” Jimmy Shepherd, announced as “Chicago’s Harry Lauder”, Margaret Flaws Hunter and Kate Campbell Saunders, will give recitations. Two little girls: Bessie Dewar and Bella Sellars will dance. In the museum, we have the pipes once played by Jimmy Shepherd.

The first Scottish Home was located at 43 Bryant Avenue, near the Douglas Monument. The exact location is now covered by a large, low income, housing complex. The newspaper article continued: “It is proposed to acquire a country place in the vicinity of Chicago to accommodate from forty to fifty." The property obtained is the present location of the Scottish Home in North Riverside, Illinois.

Mrs. Robert Ballantine was instrumental in completing the statue of Robert Burns in Garfield Park. The sculptor, W. Grant Stevenson, of Edinburgh, Scotland, would not finish the statue until he had been paid in full and fund-raising efforts were slow. Mrs. Ballantine made a trip to Scotland and visited with Grant Stevenson and arranged for payments to be made. The first payment was sent on May 12, 1904, and one year later the statue and panels were successfully cast.

On the Society page of the Chicago Daily Tribune, dated Sept. 21, 1895. You can find this note: “Mr. & Mrs. Robert Ballantine, No.283 North Oakley avenue, celebrated the twenty-fifth anniversary of their wedding last night. Mr. And Mrs. Ballantine received their friends in Washington Hall, corner of Washington and Ogden avenue. A large gathering was present.”

A diligent search has not given us any more information about her husband and no obituary can be found for either. We are still looking. Ballantine is a common name in Chicago Scottish history, but we owe a debt of gratitude to Mrs. Ballantine and it would be good to know more of her life. Any help would be appreciated.